Compared to the rest of the North East, fewer applications are made in Redcar and Cleveland for grants to celebrate and share the area’s heritage.

Call to action

At a development event, those behind successful projects explained the difference National Lottery funding makes.

Teesside Archaeological Society’s Ice and Fire project is tackling vandalism and arson in Eston Hills, inspiring people to take pride in and care for their area’s fascinating Mesolithic and Neolithic heritage.

The Our Industrial Heartland project, backed by a wealth of enthusiastic volunteers and valuable local partnerships, is ensuring the area’s industrial, archaeological and natural heritage is not lost.

Woodland Diaries, led by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, is creating a shared digital nature diary. Observing changing seasons, following tracks, talking about trees and even recording 1960s graffiti, the project is enabling people of all ages to weave stories about our woodlands.

Normanby Local History Group was able to create a documentary film about the life of William Henry Short VC, the thoughts of his family and the legacy of the First World War in Teesside.

Top tips

They also had some top tips for those thinking about applying for National Lottery funding:

• Start with enthusiasm but don’t try to do everything under the sun
• Build strong partnerships, including with other National Lottery projects
• Share your story as widely as possible and take people on the journey with you
• Social media is a great way to gather snippets of personal heritage – those that might otherwise never make it into the history books
• Ask HLF lots of questions, they are very happy to help
• Blow your own trumpet, give it a go and help raise the profile of Redcar and Cleveland

Get in touch

We will continue to work closely with groups in Redcar and Cleveland to develop strong applications and ensure an exciting future for the area’s heritage. If you have an idea, contact the North East HLF team.

Share your stories and thoughts at @HLFNorthEast using #RedcarandClevelandStories.